Just A Little Dreaming

Blogger: Natasha

Here's a photo of the intersection at Main St. and Fifth at around 11:45 this morning:


I know what you're thinking: Where IS everybody?! Shouldn't Main be bustling with hungry people at 11:45 a.m.? I thought so, too.

Chances of rain today may have caused downtown Tulsans to work through lunch, or to go downstairs or someplace to the in-house cafeteria. Even so, I count only seven people in the foreground of this photo (I didn't count the people in the background because I don't have super-sonic vision, but I bet there are 12-15).

Folks, I have a dream:


Ah, yes. A downtown densely populated where a diverse workforce gets out-and-about for a bite to eat at lunchtime. Yeah, people are driving, but they're probably just going to go pick someone up to take them to Caz's or McNellie's.

See that little green person back there by the tree? That could be you.

Mayfest
Mayfest starts Thursday and runs through Sunday. Yay! Mayfest is my favorite Tulsa festival. I love that all the weirdos, pretty people, kids and leisure-starved folks get to come hang out in the same place and cause a little ruckus together. And, simply being around each other is good for us all.

Perhaps Tulsan/Tulsa enthusiast Mos Jef said it best:

Come out and enjoy Mayfest. Tulsa's events will only get better if you support them as they already exist.

Saturday Morning (and Mothers' Day) on Cherry Street

Blogger: Natasha
(Photo credit: Sarah Nicodemus)

Cherry Street Farmers’ Market

This morning was the first Saturday morning in a very long time that I didn’t sleep in until some un-Godly hour that I’m too embarrassed to specify.

What made this Saturday morning any different? I was on a mission, that’s what.

Step 1: Trip over fan cord en-route to turn off alarm clock, which read 6:45 a.m.

Step 2: Sleep through shower and pretty much entire grooming process, since I don’t remember getting ready to leave the house.

Step 3: Chug a cup of coffee before setting out for Cherry Street Farmers’ Market at 15^th and Peoria.

Step 4: Arrive at CSFM. Smile and chatter non-stop at The Husband 1.0 for the entire trek from the car to the first booth in Lincoln Plaza about how awesome this adventure is going to be.

Aaron and I decided to go to the farmers’ market today because we decided to make baskets full of locally-grown veggies and local crafts for our moms for Mothers’ Day. I feel pretty safe in saying that here, since I’m pretty sure my mom has read the blog maybe once since it started, and Aaron’s mom is scared to visit and find I’ve started a porn site, since the name of the blog harkens back to a member of said movie genre.

Items we were crazy enough about to buy at CSFM, in order of purchase:

• Purple passion asparagus: Curiosity forced me to ask the vendor what was different about purple passion asparagus as opposed to plain ol’ green asparagus. The answer? “It doesn’t give you as much gas.” Two, please.
• Lavender plants: Aaron’s mom, my mom and I can’t get lavender seeds to grow, for whatever reason. I think starter plants will green their thumbs.
• Toffee and strawberry/raspberry mini cheesecakes: The salesman at this booth (sorry, but I was naughty reporter today and didn’t get the vendor’s name) was by far the most charming of the vendors with whom we did business this morning. Pretty sure he could sell ice to Eskimos. He gave us a taste of his toffee; we nearly passed out. It was true love.
• Romaine lettuce, broccoli, and some type of colorful lettuce-looking stuff that the vendor person said was a “perennial spinach:” The colorful lettuce-looking stuff is gorgeous – reds and oranges and greens, oh my!
• Lavender soap (sorry, soap lady at Pearl Farmers’ Market, but I couldn’t find you at CSFM – I’ll catch you later, I swear): We bought one that’s just lavender-scented, and two others blended with ylang-ylang and chamomile. I heart all that is lavender.

There was this really cool bluegrass band at the edge of the market that played one of my all-time favorite church songs, I’ll Fly Away. I got to sing along to that as I soaked up the sunshine, petted people’s dogs, sniffed live herb plants and talked to anyone who would talk back to me. I was one happy girl.

The Coffee House on Cherry Street

After Aaron and I rushed home to put our perishables in the fridge, we met Party Brenda and her husband Kyle for brunch at The Coffee House on Cherry Street, 1502 E. 15^th St.

Aaron ordered an everything bagel with what I think he said was chive cream cheese, and I bought a slice of something-and-basil quiche. We also bought café mochas. Brenda and Kyle had just coffee, I think.

Aaron didn’t say much about his bagel, but my quiche was pretty good. A little heavy on the onion for my taste, but the crust rivaled my grandmother’s (shh! she doesn’t need to know that). Neither the bagel nor the quiche was enough to fill us up, so Aaron sent me back for sausage rolls. They were pretty good, especially since they were the cheesy kind and the bread was pretty, but they still didn’t compare to the sausage rolls at Teri’s. Oh well.

I didn’t arrange brunch at The Coffee House on Cherry Street because I was hungry, though. I go there because the coffee is good, the people who work there don’t get freaked out that I like to talk (the owner of the CHCS is completely awesome – more about her in a second), and the atmosphere is conducive to overhearing other people’s conversations.

I want to talk about Cheri Asher, the owner of CHCS, for a second. When I was standing in line for sausage rolls, she came out from the back with two pies fresh from the oven, one on each arm. As she was putting them into the display case by the cash register, the customer in front of me was talking about how cool the coffee shop was and asked who was the owner. Before she’d finished unloading the pies, Cheri jumped right in, introduced herself and shook the guy’s hand. They talked for several minutes, since Cheri asked him if he’d been in before, what brought him to Cherry Street, and joked with him about new ways to make the CHCS grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwich (which sounds like nothing I’ve ever heard, by the way – I’m definitely going to try it next time I’m there). Not only do I see Cheri talking to or serving customers herself, even though it's obvious she employs a small fleet of workers, every stinkin’ time I go to CHCS – we all know now how Natasha feels about business owners like this - but she is nice enough to let my church group meet at her establishment every Tuesday night to talk about questions we’re too scared to ask in church (i.e., what’s with “once saved always saved,” what’s up with Jesus being the only way, why do bad things happen to good people, etc.). After all, not every business in Tulsa is open to hosting a group of college-age kids who will probably pray together amongst its customers. Cheri is, so I hope Tulsa does right by her.

What I mean when I say the atmosphere is conducive to overhearing other people’s conversations is, it’s easy to meet new people in places like CHCS where the seating is arranged less like that in a restaurant and more like that in a living space. As such, it’s easy to strike up conversations with people you don’t know. When I’m at CHCS, the space makes me feel like I’m having coffee in my house, and that all my friends have decided to come over to hang out. Not all coffee houses desire to foster communitas like that, if you know what I mean.

Kyle got to play the Jumanji board game that lives on the top shelf of a bookcase at CSCH and do the crossword in the back of this week’s Urban Tulsa; Brenda got to muse at this red collage (Study in Red, she decided to call it) on the wall; Aaron and I read the new local rags, Spektrum and Square magazines (both serve the y.p. demographic, with Spektrum focused on bringing culture at the macro level to Tulsa, and Square focused on cool places cool people go to have a beer or five and to forget college is over and that the real world has set in), all while basking in the sunlight coming in through the French doors that face 15^th St. and the snippets of conversation coming from the patrons around us that made us feel like all was well, everywhere.

Kyle said, “I could stay here all day.”
"Didn't you already say that?"
"Yeah. I guess I did."

None of us got to stay all day. However, we’re checking our schedules now for a day when we can.

Felini's, Teri's and Tulsa's Farmers' Markets: A Day in the Life Downtown

Blogger: Natasha
(Photo credit: Sarah Nicodemus)

9:06 a.m.

When life is going 90-to-nothing and you work in downtown Tulsa, at least there are places around to go for some quick but sincere human contact.

I strolled into work yesterday morning at about 9 a.m. After I ground some beans from Tulsa’s own DoubleShot Coffee Company and set them to brew (sorry, Brian, but only one other person in my office enjoys French press coffee – they don’t know what’s good for ‘em), I headed to my favorite downtown breakfast spot: Felini’s Cookies at 9 E. Fifth (I would link to some press praising Felini's cookies, but the Tulsa World likes its cease-and-desist-linking-to-us-in-any-way-even-if-its-for-a-good-reason letters way too much).

Since by 9 a.m. what I think are the best jalapeno sausage rolls in town were long gone, I decided to give their cinnamon rolls and blueberry cake muffins a try. Though I was pretty sad my usual choice with two mustard packets wasn’t available, the cinnamon rolls and muffins were…fabulous. Can I say that again? Fabulous. I’m going to use cinnamon rolls and blueberry cake muffins to break up my downtown breakfast routine now, for sure.

Felini’s is locally known for the quality and variety of its cookies. But, as TDT photo guy Chris Bouldin has said, “I would be happy if I could just sit here in my chair [at the office] and have the ladies at Felini’s come over and shove a continuous stream of sausage rolls into my mouth.” So, if you like Felini’s for lunch and a cookie, try the breakfast. It’s so good, you’ll say strange things about it.

So the morning grub at Felini’s is, like I said, fabulous. But, you wanna know why I, along with the rest of the folks in my office, go to Felini’s nearly every single morning for our wake-up food? Because the ladies there are so personable.

Almost every time I step in their little shop I hear one of the two ladies I’ve seen working there greet a customer by name. Small paper sacks with names scrawled on them line the top of the warmer where they keep those out-of-this-world sausage rolls, waiting for the customers who order the same breakfast every day to pick them up. When I come in really early, one of the ladies there asks me when the other people in my office will head over and if she needs to pack sacks for them. I always assure her they’ll be around, but even if I told her to go ahead, she wouldn’t have to ask what names to put on the bags – she already knows.

I love to deal with people like that in the morning, and they make me proud to share the name “Tulsan” with them. The way they treat me and their other customers makes me feel special in a downtown of 35,000 people. Dare I say Felini’s is “comfortably cosmopolitan?”

Sitting down at my desk with a Felini’s sausage roll – or, in the case of today, a half a cinnamon roll and half a blueberry cake muffin – and some freshly brewed DoubleShot Coffee was definitely what I would call doing Tulsa, downtown-breakfast-on-a-weekday style.

12:01 p.m.

Anyone else notice how lunch time comes suddenly when you’re hard at work? At around 11:00 a.m., even though I don’t have windows in my office, I can feel downtown start to move. Since we had a deadline yesterday at work, several of us wanted to stick close to the office for that mid-day shot in the arm. On days like that, there is nothing more soothing to the nerves than the artery-hardening cuisine of Teri’s Coney Island, 3 E. 5^th St.

I swear the Teri’s people put some addictive chemical in the chili, because our staff can’t stay out there for less than two days per week. My office pals’ favorite items include the three coney special, the Frito chili pie and the brisket sandwich. Though I normally opt for the three coney special, today I decided to give the brisket sandwich a go.

So good. So. Freaking. Good. If I had been at home, I would have needed a cigarette and a nap afterward.

The ladies who work at Teri’s (I wonder why I see more women than men working at restaurants downtown, but that’s a topic for some other blog) always let us joke around with them. They’re great. My favorite part about going to Teri’s for lunch, besides the food, is the brightly-colored picture frame behind the counter that says, Weenie Queen. Makes me laugh every time. My second favorite part about going to Teri’s is the fake wooden coney that sits on the ordering counter. Someone in line is always putting it on a friend’s tray and saying stuff like, “Order up,” or, “Are you sure that's what you ordered?” Then everyone in line gets to laugh off a little bit of stress from the morning at work.

I love laughing with people who are standing in line together. It’s a lovely sort of community, even when you’ve all come to the conclusion you’ve been waiting much longer than necessary for whatever it was you thought you needed. It’s easy to build camaraderie with people in lines. You’re forced to stand closer together than any other situation might dictate, and you’ve got to stay close together for an indeterminable period of time. Might as well be friends and make fun of stuff as you edge toward freedom.

Sincere human contact is available at downtown Tulsa restaurants like Felini’s and Teri’s. Even when you get the hankering for a mushroom charburger from Billy’s on the Square, popcorn chicken from Arby’s, or a teriyaki chicken sandwich from Subway, going to those places won’t fulfill your need to get around some people other than the ones you’re in the office with all day long.

When the day demands it be mushroom burger day, though, I’d better realize it either before 11 a.m. or after 1 p.m. Billy’s gets crazy-busy - and rightly so, since the food is fantastic. I don’t mind standing in the line that sometimes stretches along the north side of the dining room and out into the entrance vestibule to get the fantastic Billy’s mushroom burger.

What I don’t get from Billy’s, though, is the camaraderie of the line, or the conversation and looks of warm recognition from the person at the register. In fact, the ladies (again!) at the registers at Billy’s are almost always snippy and unsmiling. They just bark whatever you ordered into the microphone, swipe your card, and give you a piece of paper with your order number. Most times, especially when I have to dig in my wallet for a second to find my debit card, the register ladies have already moved on to taking the order of the next customer in line.

I’m not a person who critiques the attitudes of restaurant workers without ever having worked at a restaurant. I worked for Mazzio’s at the call center for nearly three years after school, and I worked at the Panera on Cherry Street for a couple of years during high school and college. Maybe the Mazzio’s experience doesn’t apply directly to what the ladies at Billy’s have to do everyday, but what was expected of me at Panera during the downtown lunch hour certainly does.

Wanna know what I learned during my time at the very busy corner of 15^th and Utica? Nothing puts out a customer more than attempting to take the order as fast as possible without looking up from the cash register to smile. Makes people wonder why they didn’t just go to McDonald’s, because that’s where people when they don’t care how they’re treated. They just want some food, not to mention a meal at McDonald’s would be at least $5 cheaper than one at Panera.

I guess Billy’s has been around for quite awhile now, so I can’t say the way the cash register ladies treat the customers affects their bottom line. I love how Billy’s is involved with Mayfest and probably a lot of other cool local things, but all I know is that I’d eat there a lot more often if I could have a laugh with the person who takes my order every once in a while. Shoot, we could even talk about the weather. Anything. Just do something to remind me I’m in the Midwest – Tulsa, specifically - and not in some giant city where I’m nothing but an order number.

6:10 p.m.

Anyone else been enjoying the grand openings of the local farmers’ markets during the past couple of weeks? There were several in the area last year, and this year there are at least 2 more – the one downtown on Williams Green, and the one at The Pearl District at 6^th and Peoria. Both are pretty small gigs, but both represent really great ideas. I love the idea of being able to step out of my office building and walk to a farmers’ market to pick up lunch (the Downtown Farmers’ Market opens at 10:30 and stays open until something like 1 p.m.) or something to cook for dinner (The Pearl opens at 4 and stays open until the early evening).

After work Thursday evening I went to The Pearl Farmers’ Market. Parking is no problem, and since the market is set up in Centennial Park, shoppers get to walk on nice, soft grass rather than hot, stinky blacktop. The contrast of what looks sort of like a gypsy market with the downtown high-rises peeking through the haze from just about one mile away was pretty encouraging. Finally, a place I can go to un-wind after work and not have to sit on a barstool.

Yes, I got to go to the farmers’ market after work on a Thursday. I got to browse local veggies and baked goods at 6:30 p.m. rather than a.m., and the trip didn’t mess with my weekend plans. I picked up the most wonderful hummus (made by The Palace Café on Cherry Street), and I’m going to start stalking a lady there who makes her own soap. I couldn’t buy any yesterday, but I’m hot on her trail for some lavender scented soap.

In fact, I really liked talking to the soap lady. She answered my questions and didn’t seem irritated that I gave her the third degree on how to make soap. She didn’t even seem mad that I asked all those questions and couldn’t buy anything (side note: farmers’ market vendors don’t usually take debit cards. D’oh!). She was ready to tell me anything I wanted to know about how to make soap, which made me feel really welcome. She exuded pride in her craft.

“I picked this for you,” said the little blonde girl hanging out with the soap lady as she handed me a clover flower.
“Thank you!” I slid the flower behind my ear.
“How does it look?” I asked her.
“Really pretty. Wanna know which soaps are my favorites? This one smells almost good enough to eat.”
I hope that little girl returns my heart to me someday, because I’m gonna miss it.

There was this guy Foster (heard the Palace Café guys call him that) who had scones, muffins and cheesecake. He was nice to talk to also, even though he wasn’t as nice about my not being able to buy anything. He gave me a tour of his booth full of yummy-smelling baked goodies, and his brand of flirtatiousness made me want to buy one of each he had rather than run for cover – a rare quality in a salesman. Props to Foster.

The Palace Café guys were really nice, too. They had the thing closest to what I was after to put with dinner that night, so I spent the sole $5 bill I had in my pocket on their amazing hummus. They also gave me a tour - this one complete with which products were their most popular, which were organic, and which came with their take-home, fully prepared dinners – and argued with me about the weather. Since one of the guys had the nerve to battle me on whether or not it was too humid outside, I will buy more stuff from on my next trip to that farmers’ market. I enjoy a friendly battle, and that guy made a happy memory for me that I will associate with the delicious hummus at The Palace Café. Double bonus.

The Pearl Farmers’ Market is a small-time show right now with what I would guess is 10-12 vendors, but the market manager told me musical acts are scheduled to play at the market later this summer. The market will feature not only foodstuffs and bath/beauty products, but also booths of information on sustainability and buying local.

The Pearl Farmers’ Market is open every Thursday evening from now until October from 4 to 8 p.m. Support it. It’s a great way to end a day working and eating downtown.

Word on the Street, Vol. 1: We Have a Winner!

Blogger: Natasha
(Photo credit: Sarah Nicodemus)

Congratulations to Steven Roemerman on winning Tasha Does Tulsa's first ever Word on the Street! He plans to redeem his winnings at Tulsa's own DoubleShot Coffee Company, downtown at 18th and Boston. I'd say that's a great plan.

I have no other news except to say the TDT crew is starting to live it up summer-style here in Tulsa, and we plan to tell you all about it - the good, the bad and the ugly.

Word on the Street, Vol. 1

Blogger: Party Brenda
(Photo credit: still Chris Bouldin)

Ugh. Party Brenda is not very good at partying in the mornings – especially after a night at McNellie’s.

That’s okay – I’m awake now, and there is nothing I can do about it. If the rain hasn’t washed away the Word on the Street, here are the clues to where it’s at:

First clue: I am near the point of much controversy, disappointment, wait-and-see and especially media coverage during the past year.

Second clue: I’m in midtown Tulsa, and local residents used to complain about how much noise I made after sundown because some people were trying to sleep (see the first post of Tasha Does Tulsa if you wanna know how I feel about that).

Third clue: If you’re a native Tulsan in your twenties or early thirties, you probably have many childhood memories here. I know I do.

Fourth and final clue: The word on the street is at 36 degrees 8 minutes 6 seconds North, and 95 degrees 56 minutes and 5 seconds West, according to Google Earth. Natasha’s husband said you can Google this set of coordinates and find the exact location of the Word on the Street.

So, that’s how Word on the Street is going to work. Whoever finds the Word on the Street and posts it to this blog first gets a $20 gift certificate to the Tulsa-based restaurant or coffee house of his/her choice.

Chester's word of the day: Go!

Wisdom, prizes and anticipation: You're in Tulsa

Blogger: Party Brenda
(Photo credit: Chris Bouldin)

As some of you may already know, I, Party Brenda, am known for my sage advice.

I received the following E-mail from a faithful follower of my advice column last week:

Dear Party Brenda,

So much is going on in Tulsa right now, and things seem like they’re going to get worse before they get better. What’s your advice for Tulsa right now?

Sincerely yours,

Connie Commuter
Broken Arrow, Okla.

Since I imagine many people in Tulsa would have asked me the same question if only they knew my personal E-mail address, I decided to answer the question here so all of you could partake of my sage advice at once.

So, here’s my response:

Dear Connie Commuter (and Tulsans who long for my personal E-mail address):

Since most people I know are paying attention to the road construction in Tulsa and pretty much nothing else going on in the entire city, I'll assume you're griping about that, too. I know everyone is kinda freaking out about all the road construction, especially in downtown – but, chill out. Downtown Tulsa will be a rockin’ place for it in the long run. I mean, don’t you think it’s about time some work started happening down there?

My advice to you, Connie, is to just keep on partying. There is so much to do here – concerts and art shows, festivals and killer local restaurants (especially the one that can supply Party Brenda with more types of beer than she can even think about) - not to mention the random, friendly transients. It's not that there are more of them in Tulsa than in any other town - ours just walk around a lot, I bet. I'd wager you're seeing the same ones all the time. Anyway, we have got to have some of the nicest homeless people around. One of them said, “Bless you,” to Natasha when she sneezed during her walk to work the other day. And, they’re right here in Tulsa! Who could ask for anything more?

I also would like to point out that if you do make it to your downtown destination, even if it is by detour, you’ll be safe to party. There is a lot going on downtown, but it's nothing you can't handle. But, don’t drink and drive – call a nice Tulsa cabbie. They can take you home, safe and sound. It’s either one of them, or it’s the police, especially now that they’re talking about setting up shop someplace downtown – but, from what I can tell, they don’t always take you home, per se. Hang in there, Connie, and thank you for sharing.

If you really need for me to hand-feed you something safe and not too overwhelming to do this week, you can come hang out with me. This Thursday, I’ll be partying with the dueling piano guys at the Full Moon Café. The tortilla soup at Full Moon is cheesy-licious, and you can have a full evening of fun with Party Brenda for under five bucks.

Party on!

Party Brenda

Something else I want to inform readers out there about is the Word on the Street.

Here’s how it’s going to work. I’m gonna give you a clue about a certain location in Tulsa. If you go to the right place and find a word chalked on the street, sidewalk - just whatever is under your feet (hey, that kinda rhymes) - be the first to comment that word to the post that gave you the clue.

Your reward for knowing the Word on the Street? A $20 gift certificate to the Tulsa-based restaurant or coffee house of your choice.

I’ll post the first clue on Tasha Does Tulsa Friday morning at 7 a.m. central time. Happy hunting!

And oh yeah: Party on, Tulsa!

You, Too, Can Do Tulsa

Blogger: Natasha
(Photo credit: Sarah Nicodemus)

Wanna know what really puts me on edge? People who complain there is nothing to do in Tulsa. Rather than acquainting themselves with goings-on about town, these folks choose to whine instead, "Ugh, there is nothing fun to do here."

I used to hear this more often than I do now, thank goodness. But, I still hear it often enough to cause me to want to write a post for my fellow Tulsans on ways to get to know your town.

What follows are several steps you can take to learn about the town I love: Tulsa, OK. Some are small, some not-so-small. Pick something to do, and start today. No more complaining, folks. I've got the solution to your “boredom” right here:

1. Swear off highways.

After I started work as a newspaper reporter, I realized how much I didn't know about my native city. I expressed as much to my main mentor at work, Raymond. His sage advice? "Just drive around."

Ray was right.

Avoiding highways is the best way to see more of your city. Just think about it: when you're traveling on the highway, you can’t see much of what you’re passing, since you're traveling at such a high rate of speed. Second, you’re probably not all that interested in what’s passing you by if you’ve chosen the highway in the first place. You’re in a hurry. And, that’s the intended purpose of highways: the rapid transport of automobiles.

But folks, a lot has been going on in Tulsa as of late. Our town is growing, and with growth comes change. Check out what’s coming to a neighborhood near you simply by driving around – you'll immediately feel like a part of the community. Feeling like you’re a part is where the fun begins.

2. Pick some form of community service. Next, get moving.

My father impressed upon me that serving the community as a volunteer is very important if I want to continue to enjoy or grow my city. Volunteer work also connects you to vast networks of people. If you tried volunteer work for just two months in Tulsa, your first comment when you report back to me would be, “Tulsa is such a small town – everyone knows everyone!”

It’s true. And, you don't have to volunteer for a million different organizations. You don't have to sign onto a board where you're expected to contribute a quarter of your salary, either. But, you should:

• Find some kids who could use a mentor;
• Plant a tree or two;
• Help lost animals find homes;
• Help build/refurbish homes;
• or, teach an adult to read.

It doesn’t matter. Pick something, and go. You'll be amazed at the people you'll meet and the places you'll see. It will be like meeting the city you always knew.

3. Read your town's free publications; subscribe to (and yes, read) the newspaper; put your town's blogs on RSS feed.

"I don't really read."

Huh?

Since you're reading this, I know you're not one of those people. You fine folks should tell your “friends” to pick up some lit every once in a while – it would make them easier to be around.

Argh. Anyway. Tulsa boasts several free and paid publications:

• Urban Tulsa Weekly (free; by far the most definitive source on cool stuff to do in Tulsa)
• Tulsa World (paid; new, more user-friendly website)
• Oklahoma Magazine (free; not exactly local, but does feature Tulsa regularly)
• Tulsa People (free; newly re-designed)
• Tulsa Business Journal (paid; read Insiders, look up online calendar)
• Xposure Magazine (I think this is free)

And much more. These are the ones I lug to the coffee shops, and most of them are what I would call tolerable reading.

If an actual paper isn't your thing, check this out. There you'll find the feed of 11 blogs, each written and regularly updated by Tulsans. Local blogs are great because they are free to cover local news without the advertising-dollar hang ups.

Point being, reading is the best way to gain information about your town without having to actually cover and report what happens. If you're not willing to read one of these hip, graphically-oriented and user-friendly newspapers or blogs, Chester hereby disallows you to complain about how bored you are in Tulsa.

Chester means business. Don’t make me call Party Brenda.

4. Y.P.’s of Tulsa, join a relevant professional organization. Then, go to the meetings.

There are two Tulsa young professionals organizations, TYPros and ypTULSA. Each now holds meetings. As such – and as the kids at ypTULSA would say – “just show up.”

Our local young professionals are all fired-up. They’re well-connected, and they know the newest cool things to do in Tulsa. Know why? Because they're the ones at the helm of those cool, happening things.

If there is a professional organization in town specifically for those of your profession, pay the dues and join. Not only will your membership benefit your career, but the fun you have in this city is directly related to the size of your network of people who know the places to see and be seen. You’ve heard it before, and you’ll hear it again: size matters.

5. Send yourself on a hunt for the best _______ in Tulsa.

For about four months, I’ve been hunting for Tulsa's ultimate chile relleno.

So far I have tried the chile relleno dishes at:

Pepper’s Grill,
Senor Tequila
La Hacienda
On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina
El Chico Cafe
Ted’s Escondido
El Maguey

Considering the number of Mexican restaurants there probably are in Tulsa, I’d say my search has just begun.

So, what are you passionate about? Old books, vintage records, clothes - cheeseburgers? Start looking for Tulsa's best whatever-that-is! Not only will your search make great date fodder, but it will also add to your life a distinct sense of place.

6. Don't watch the evening news.

Not that I have anything against the news stations here in town. Seriously. I simply suggest you not use evening news reports as sources when you make your plans for Friday night.

Thanks to some extensive research (I asked around, and I compared the social behaviors of evening news watchers to those of non-evening news watchers), I'm pretty sure the local evening news is tailored to shock and/or scare you out of doing anything in your town, ever. It’s not that they get their thrills from scaring you. If the local evening news couldn’t tell you anything shocking or scary about your city, how would you convince advertisers to buy into those broadcasts instead of The Simpson’s and Seinfeld re-runs?

Contrary to what the evening news has to tell you to get you to watch their stations enough to attract advertisers, downtown is not a heathen hide-away. Innocent people are not getting shot all over the place, and cops aren’t hiding out in the construction zones and neighborhoods to pull you over on camera.

Tulsa is a peaceful place. There are lots of fun things to do in safe places. Consult the Urban Tulsa. Live a little.

7. Try something you've never done before. Keep it local.

My husband and I woke up one Saturday earlier this year and decided to take Tulsa Transit to the downtown library.

What a pleasant experience! Neither of us had utilized public transportation in Tulsa before. We were nervous about our trip, but our bus drivers helped us to find our departure and arrival times, and we made it back home alive and all in one piece. Even our fellow passengers were pleasant. As it turned out, all the social stigma MTTA suffers is for nothing. If Tulsans who insist on driving solo to downtown for work everyday would try the bus just once, I bet hundreds of them would opt for the bus every now and then. Perhaps then MTTA could flesh out its bus schedule, which would provide transit users an increased frequency on each route. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Tulsans didn’t have to have to wait 30 minutes for the next bus?

My husband doesn’t cultivate a beaten path. Trying new stuff is his thing. This approach keeps him very in-the-know and connected to goings-on in Tulsa. He tries new, interesting restaurants; he shops at obscure grocery stores; and, he always has a local adventure in the works. My husband tells me stuff I don't know about Tulsa all the time.

Take it from me: people like people who teach and tell them things they don't know. People don't generally like people who are complacent and boring.

Don't be that guy.

8. Talk to people in line at the grocery store.

As my stepmother can attest, my dad reads Cosmopolitan magazine to people in line at the grocery store. This approach works really well for him – sometimes I could swear my dad knows everyone. I can’t go anywhere with him without bumping into someone he knows.

Dad is the other person who tells me stuff I don't know about Tulsa all the time. He's also the only other person besides the people I work with at the newspaper who can connect me to just about anybody in town. If he doesn't know someone, he knows someone who knows them. I'm pretty sure this is thanks to a) his extensive volunteer work, and b) talking freely to people in line at the grocery store.

9. Go to church.

Good churches boast community initiatives. Get involved. You'll get to know local people and places in ways you wouldn't otherwise have had the opportunity.

I can only guess that it would be tough to be active in church and not meet someone knowledgeable about the community. Even if just that one person could get you plugged into cool stuff to do and cool people to do cool stuff with in Tulsa, imagine the increase in your quality of life.

My church plans to cancel church this Sunday. Instead, we're doing church. Our congregation will be immersed in community outreach ranging from car washes to knitting circles to donut giveaways from 10:30 a.m. to noon rather than sitting in a stuffy sanctuary singing songs to the ceiling.

See what I mean? More than any other public organization, churches are the movers and shakers of the community. They bring different types of people and their resources together and deploy them into the community for its betterment - and for the glory of God.

So, don't let sermons and hymns be all you get out of going to church. Use it also as a tool to establish presence in your community. Helping others in your community and getting to know what there is to do in your city feeds back into the God stuff. I promise.

Post a comment to keep me apprised of your new life of vigor and local adventures. I’ll buy lunch for whoever sends me the best “coming out in Tulsa” story.